Hotelier cleared of murder-in-mall charges

Dipak Kumar Dash / TNN / Jan 19, 2007, 00:55 IST

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The court of Gurgaon additional sessions judge acquitted her employer, Ashok Rajput, who had been charged with pushing the 19-year-old to her death.

Hotelier cleared of murder-in-mall charges

GURGAON: Almost nine months after Sonish Javed was found dead in a mall, the court of Gurgaon additional sessions judge acquitted her employer, Ashok Rajput, who had been charged with pushing the 19-year-old to her death.
When Rajput entered the court on Thursday, his face covered, judge R C Godara asked: "Why have you covered your face? You are acquitted."
Later, Rajput's counsels Narender Jain and Amit Jain told mediapersons: "From day one, we had been maintaining that it was an accidental fall.No one pushed Sonish from the third floor of MGF Metropolitan Mall. The court verdict has proved our stand."
Rajput was set free as there wasn't sufficient evidence to prove he had pushed the girl from the third floor of a restaurant in the mall on the intervening night of April 14, 2006, and all key witnesses, including Sonish's family members, had gone back on their police statements in the court.

In fact, after recording their statements on September 12, none from Sonish's family ever turned up in court. They were absent even on Thursday.
However, soon after the incident, Sonish's family had blamed Rajput for her death and claimed that Rajput, who runs restaurants Iceberg and Sun Citi, owed Rs 1.5 lakh to her.
The FIR filed by Sonish's mother, Shaheena Begum, on April 15, 2006, at DLF police station stated that she came to know of her daughter's death from one Jarid Gurumb who had taken Sonish to the party after her arrival from Mumbai.

"He (Jarid) told me that Sonish was pushed by Ashok Rajput from the third floor,"the FIR stated. It also mentioned that Rajput had a heated argument with Sonish over the money he owed her and pushed her in a fit of rage.
But in court, Shaheena said: "Sonish had gone to Mumbai a day before the fateful night. She had flown back. The next day we were informed that she had died after falling from the third floor. Sonish and Rajput had cordial relations and the fall was accidental."
Even Danish Javed, Sonish's brother, stated in court that he did not know who was responsible for her death. The only eyewitness, Jarid, told the court: "I don't know Sonish and I don't know how she died. I didn't see Rajput pushing Sonish."
The other witness �� one Ashok from Faridabad �� also went back on his statement to police that Rajput had confessed the murder to him.
"Key witnesses did not support the prosecution case and the court took cognisance of the fact,"said Narender Jain.
Asked about the acquittal, Gurgaon senior superintendent of police (SSP) Hanif Qureshi said: "All the witnesses have turned hostile. We had proceeded on the basis of complaints and allegations made by them."

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